The Tale of the Fox Who Went to Jerusalem
Whether it happened or not, whether it lived or not, there was once a fox in the world. So, one day, the fox is walking along, and a rooster comes her way."Hello, rooster!"
"Hello, fox!"
"Where are you going, rooster?"
"Nowhere," says the rooster. "My owner has thirty or forty hens, and I'm the only rooster among them. My owner keeps saying, 'This rooster has gotten old, he's no good for the hens anymore—time to slaughter him. I'll slaughter him tomorrow.' What could I do? I had to run away. I decided to live in the field. And where are you going, fox?"
"I'm going to Jerusalem. I want to become a saint."
"Take me with you as a companion."
"Alright," replies the fox.
They set off. Whether they walked a lot or a little, they soon met a goose.
"Hello, goose!"
"Hello, fox and rooster!"
"Where are you going, goose? What trouble are you in?"
"Ah, ah! Where can I go?" answered the goose. "I raised twelve goslings for my owner, each as big as me. But the owner says, 'Our goose has gotten old, we'll keep the goslings, but we'll slaughter and roast him.' So, I ran away. I'll have to live in the field."
The fox says:
"We're going to Jerusalem, come with us, you'll be our companion."
"Very well. Let's go together, the three of us."
Whether they walked a lot or a little, they soon met a kite.
"Hello, kite!"
"Hello, fox, rooster, and goose! Where are you headed?"
"We're going to Jerusalem to save our souls."
"Take me with you as a companion."
They set off. As they walked, they met a bustard.
"Hello, bustard!"
"Hello, fox, rooster, goose, and kite! Where are you going?"
"To Jerusalem, to save our souls."
"Take me with you as a companion."
"Very well."
They set off. Whether they walked a lot or a little, they came to the fox's den.
"Here we are in Jerusalem. Let's go in and start praying," says the fox. They all entered the den. The fox stood by the entrance and called the rooster.
"Rooster, read a prayer to save your soul." The rooster, overjoyed, began to crow loudly. But the fox said:
"I allowed you to pray here, but how dare you crow 'cock-a-doodle-doo' at midnight when I approach the henhouse, waking people up with your noise and leaving me with an empty stomach?" With that, the fox tore off the rooster's head and set it aside.
Then the fox called the goose.
"Come here, goose." The goose approached.
"How dare you honk for hours after midnight, alerting people that I'm near the henhouse and leaving me with an empty stomach?" She tore off his head as well.
She called the kite.
"Come here, you too." The kite approached.
"You shameless creature," said the fox, "how dare you kill the chicks of a poor widow? You swoop in and take them all, leaving me with nothing!" She tore off his head too.
Finally, the fox called the bustard. The bustard said:
"Why do you want to eat me? If you don't eat me, I'll repay you—you'll eat your fill, laugh your fill, and run your fill, so much so that you'll never forget it."
"Alright," replied the fox. The bustard led the fox away.
As they walked, they met a woman carrying lunch to the men working in the fields. The bustard sat down on the road.
"It would be nice to catch this bird," said the woman, "it would make the children happy." She set the bowl down on the road and chased after the bustard. But the bustard flew slowly and low, leading her far away.
Meanwhile, the fox ran up, overturned the bowl, and ate her fill. When the woman returned, she threw up her hands and wailed:
"Woe is me! May my eyes go blind, may I strike a stone, how will I feed the men now?"
"So, fox, are you full or not?" asked the bustard.
"I'm full, and how—I've never eaten like this in my life. I won't forget this, and I'll repay you well."
"If that's the case, let's have a good laugh now."
The bustard led the fox to a church. Near the church stood two bald monks, each holding a stick. The bustard flew over and perched on one monk's head. The other monk became angry:
"You wretched bird!" He swung his stick to kill the bustard, but the bird flew up, and the stick hit the other monk, splitting his bald head.
Then the bustard perched on the second monk's head. The first monk, with his split head, became furious and swung his stick, aiming to kill the bird, but it flew up again, and the stick struck the second monk's forehead. The fox laughed and laughed until she nearly collapsed.
"Did you laugh well, fox?" asked the bustard.
"I laughed, and how—I've never laughed like that in my life."
"Good, now let's go for a run." The bustard led the fox and placed her under some weeds.
"Wait here, you'll be running soon."
The bustard walked away and saw hunters with hounds chasing a hare.
"Come here, I'll show you a good beast," shouted the bustard, and he led them to the fox.
"Well, fox, it's time to run. Why are you sitting there? Get up and run." The fox saw the hounds, jumped up, and dashed into the field.
"Ah, ah, you outsmarted me, bustard! It's my own fault—I should have torn your head off first."
And as for what the hounds did to the fox, you can guess for yourself.
Death there, feast here,
Chopping there, flour here.
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